Resource Description and Rationale Bankstown City Council. (2003). The history of Bankstown: From settlement to city. Sydney: Author.
Explanation of resource:
This resource is a colourful 31-page non-fiction book that has a wide variety of visual texts (photographs, maps, drawings and symbols) and also includes a range of written texts (a timeline, factual recounts, information reports and factual descriptions), providing excellent opportunities for integration with literacy. It is appropriate for stage two students as the information is presented under subheadings (making it easier to locate specific information when researching) with only three to four paragraphs of information underneath.
Relevance of resource to the outcome:
The book supports the focus outcome CUS2.3 and is highly relevant to a unit of work on the identity of a specific culturally diverse community (Bankstown) as it provides information, both historical and current (up to 2002), on customs, practices, symbols, languages and traditions (BOS, 2007, p.54). The text presents information that supports the first six dot points of the stage two HSIE subject matter (see Table 1 for an analysis) (BOS, 2007, p.55).
Table 1: An analysis of the resource in reference to the HSIE Subject Matter
Subject Matter
Page covered in The History of Bankstown
·Origins and backgrounds of people in the local community
3, 4, 11, 14, 17
·The original inhabitants of the local community area
3, 4, 11
·The diversity of groups within and between communities
3, 4, 14, 17
·Easily recognisable symbols used by the local community, e.g. coats of arms
17, front and back cover
·Languages spoken within communities, including the original Aboriginal languages spoken in the local community area
3, 17
·Places of religious and spiritual significance in the local community, including the special relationship of Aboriginal people to the land
3, 6, 9, 20-22
(BOS, 2007, p.55)
(Bankstown City Council, 2003)
Aspects of literacy that could be explored:
This resource is suitable to integrate with English units to further support exploration of specific English content that is relevant in another context and KLA. It presents a wide variety of written and visual features that could be explored in literacy including: ·factual recounts ·information reports ·factual descriptions ·a timeline ·photographs ·maps ·drawings ·symbols
This broad range has been narrowed down to focus on the structure of factual recounts (lesson 2) and the use of demand and offer in photographs (lesson 3).
Factual recounts document a series of events and evaluate the significance of these events (Droga & Humphrey, 2005, p.141). They are thus important in HSIE as they can be historical, providing information on change and how things have come to be the way they are. Students will learn how to structure factual recounts and this knowledge will link with lesson 5.
Linking the construction of factual recounts with the interactive meanings of the chosen photographs will allow students to reflect on how the relationship between the viewers and what is viewed is constructed (Unsworth, 2001, p.72). Since the images selected depict the community as well as the people within the community, the resource provides opportunities for the exploration of the use of demand and offer. This knowledge will further link with lesson 5, as students will have the skills to incorporate this aspect of literacy into their multimodal task.
Students will gain deep understanding and knowledge through integrating English content within the HSIE unit (DET, 2003, p.11). Furthermore, by raising awareness that English content transcends the individual Key Learning Area, students will gain an understanding about how to utilise English skills and knowledge in different contexts (NSW BOS, 1996).
Bankstown City Council. (2003). The history of Bankstown: From settlement to city. Sydney: Author.
Explanation of resource:
This resource is a colourful 31-page non-fiction book that has a wide variety of visual texts (photographs, maps, drawings and symbols) and also includes a range of written texts (a timeline, factual recounts, information reports and factual descriptions), providing excellent opportunities for integration with literacy. It is appropriate for stage two students as the information is presented under subheadings (making it easier to locate specific information when researching) with only three to four paragraphs of information underneath.
Relevance of resource to the outcome:
The book supports the focus outcome CUS2.3 and is highly relevant to a unit of work on the identity of a specific culturally diverse community (Bankstown) as it provides information, both historical and current (up to 2002), on customs, practices, symbols, languages and traditions (BOS, 2007, p.54). The text presents information that supports the first six dot points of the stage two HSIE subject matter (see Table 1 for an analysis) (BOS, 2007, p.55).
Table 1: An analysis of the resource in reference to the HSIE Subject Matter
Aspects of literacy that could be explored:
This resource is suitable to integrate with English units to further support exploration of specific English content that is relevant in another context and KLA. It presents a wide variety of written and visual features that could be explored in literacy including:
· factual recounts
· information reports
· factual descriptions
· a timeline
· photographs
· maps
· drawings
· symbols
This broad range has been narrowed down to focus on the structure of factual recounts (lesson 2) and the use of demand and offer in photographs (lesson 3).
Factual recounts document a series of events and evaluate the significance of these events (Droga & Humphrey, 2005, p.141). They are thus important in HSIE as they can be historical, providing information on change and how things have come to be the way they are. Students will learn how to structure factual recounts and this knowledge will link with lesson 5.
Linking the construction of factual recounts with the interactive meanings of the chosen photographs will allow students to reflect on how the relationship between the viewers and what is viewed is constructed (Unsworth, 2001, p.72). Since the images selected depict the community as well as the people within the community, the resource provides opportunities for the exploration of the use of demand and offer. This knowledge will further link with lesson 5, as students will have the skills to incorporate this aspect of literacy into their multimodal task.
Students will gain deep understanding and knowledge through integrating English content within the HSIE unit (DET, 2003, p.11). Furthermore, by raising awareness that English content transcends the individual Key Learning Area, students will gain an understanding about how to utilise English skills and knowledge in different contexts (NSW BOS, 1996).